Aid from the past
by alleonn
Summary: What if the divine dragon seek help from the past? Will She be able to change the future, or will the world be destroyed again?
1. Awakening of another soul

Aid from the past

"_The future…. It cannot be saved….._

_No matter how many times I tried,_

_No matter how many times I return them back in time…..they keep on failing…."_

_Unless…._

"_Unless…. I gather help from the past…._

_Yes… they succeeded… she succeeded… yes…._

_But…I can't do it….. 2000 years… is a long time..._

_I'll just let her sleep…..wait for her to wake up… to save the future…_

_I'm sorry…..please, forgive me…for what I'm about to do…"_

_She remembers the past, during her reincarnation, during the war of dragons of the old Archania. She made a friend, an ally. Even though her friend knew that she was a reincarnation of the divine dragon, the embodiment of Naga herself, her friend's treatment of her never changed. Her values, loyalty, companionship, and her skills on and off the battlefield, made her the perfect ally….and a good friend._

_Although, what she is about to do to her friend is too much. She plans on taking her from her time, then sending her to the future, a future that was destined to be destroyed. And yet she will try, she will put her in there. She knew that there was no one, not even the hero king, more fitting do this task, to change fate, to change the course of history._

"_Aya, please, I hope you can still forgive me. Sleep well, my friend…."_

_-_Old Archania-

_She was walking away from Marth, what they did was unacceptable, punishable even. So she ran, ran away as far as possible from the palace. Leaving her trusted weapon beside the sleeping Altean prince, she only brought a few weapons, namely a sword and, a tome, some vulneraries, and food good for a few weeks. She could've brought a lance for safe measure, but it would be cumbersome. _

_She was walking for a long time, so long in fact that it was already night. So she decided to call it a day. She made a decent sized tent, fit for a single person only. She went inside, laid down, then let sleep take her away. _

"_Good night… my love…"_

_She said in a depressing tone._

_When she woke up, she was inside a shrine. She stood up then walked around. She noticed that the room was enclosed. There were no doors, just windows to allow light to pass through._

"_Aya…."_

_She looked around, her eyes widening at the sight in front of her._

"_N-nagi! What are you doing here?"_

"…"

_The girl in front of her didn't answer. She just tried to not look her in the eye. As if the simple action would break her apart._

"_Is anything wrong? What is this place?" Aya said as she tried to approach Nagi. Something must've happen to her. For her to be in this state, something terrible must've happened._

"…_. I'm sorry…" _

_That was the last thing she heard, before she passed out. _

-Modern Ylisse-

A lot of thing happened and is going to happen. Chrom now knows that Marth turned out to be her daughter from the future. Lucina, along with her allies, were sent by Naga back to the past so they could change history and prevent the destruction of humanity, along with the world.

The shepherds set up camp for them to regroup and prepare. It was night time already. Tomorrow, they will head out to Port Ferox and take a ship towards Valm. Chrom has a lot of things on his mind. He is the king of Ylisse for two years now, he is thinking about the threats that they would face, the possible allies or enemies they will make. Add to that the peace and stability of Ylisse. Stressed was an understatement to say the least. And there's this thing about Emmeryn's death a couple of years ago. A part of him still blames himself for her death. She sacrificed herself for him, and the fire emblem. 

"Father?" Chrom was looking at the sky while sitting under a tree when he heard his daughter call his name.

"What is it Lucina?" She sat beside him, he put an arm around her shoulder

"You seemed stressed, what seems to be the problem?"

"I just got…. A lot of things in my head"

She suddenly embraced her father, she then puts her head on his shoulder.

"It's alright father, we'll change fate. No matter what happens. And besides, we're here, mother and I. You can tell us everything, we won't judge you."

Her daughter's right. He's not alone. He has his family, friends, and his people. They put their faith and trust on him. He can't just back down. He has to be strong, for them.

He lets go of Lucina. "Thank you, you made me realize some things."

"The pleasure's all mine, father, although, there are some things that I haven't figured out yet."

"What is it Lucina?"

"When Naga sent us to the past, she said something like 'I will send you to a time before the world's destruction, twelve children of the future, and a forgotten hero of the past'. Until now, I don't know what that meant."

This is a shock to Chrom, this new information changes everything. A potential ally, when will they meet? Will they ever meet? Is that hero strong? Will that hero help them? , Thoughts circulating in his head.

"And another thing…." His train of thoughts was stopped by the voice of her daughter.

"What is it Lucina"

"I can't seem to remember who mother was….."

Now that she mentioned it, Chrom had yet to receive word about her mother. Who was his wife? Until now, he still can't pick his wife. He was pressured by the court, together with the nobles, to marry someone. With his stubbornness and his skills with the sword, he never heard the nobles complain about a queen and an heir. But now that his mind wandered off to this topic, he can't seem to get out of it.

"Chrom! Chrom!"

He heard his tactician shout at the top of his lungs. He looked back and spotted him running full speed towards his and Lucina's location.

"What is it? Why do you have to shout at this time?"

"Chrom….. hah….there's…. wait, let me breathe for a while….."

After a few minutes, his tactician, Satoshi, spoke.

"Risen, hundreds of them, headed towards this direction!"

Chrom suddenly froze, 'this is bad'

"Are you sure about this?"

Satoshi nodded. "Yes, a scout reported that they are currently in an abandoned village and is marching towards us. This is bad Chrom, we can't fight against a hundred risen, not with our current situation."

"Tell everyone. We needed to prepare for an incoming assault. Where is the village located?"

"Just an hour's walk from here, they'll be here any moment now."

Chrom faced his daughter with a look of distress. "Lucina, prepare your weapons, check the supplies. Satoshi, warn everyone and tell them to prepare, now!"

The three of them ran towards the camp.

Everyone has been informed and is well prepared. They have checked their supplies, formed an instant strategy, and they secured the entire perimeter. All they have to do is wait for their enemies….

They didn't come. One hour, two hours, three hours… Chrom was running out of patience. He is starting to wonder if the scout's report was accurate.

"Hey Satoshi, are you sure the reports are correct? It's been at least three hours and we still haven't got even a sound of Risen."

"I'm sure Chrom, there were three of them, and all of them said the same thing."

Chrom was getting pissed off. Another hour came and that's what snapped him.

"Alright, change of plans. I will scout ahead to see if these 'Risen' actually exist"

"Hold on father, I'll join you. You can't be too sure about it." Lucina said in a somewhat eager manner.

"No Lucina, you'll get hurt. Stay back here and keep safe. If I don't return….." Chrom cannot finish his sentence, as the thought of leaving his daughter alone in this world is unbearable.

"No father! I lost you once, and I will never lose you again!" Lucina said, tears threatening to spill off her eyes.

"I'll join too" Said the tactician. "I'll check too. If the Risen reports are true…."

"Alright, you three, join me. Satoshi, you said this village is an hour's walk from here?"  
"Yes, it's in this direction. Follow me." Satoshi said as he led Chrom and Lucina towards the abandoned village that the Risen were located."

Chrom looked back towards Frederick "You're in-charge of this army while I'm gone." Chrom then walked off towards Satoshi and Lucina

"As you wish, milord. Alright everyone, secure the perimeter, make sure that every corner of this area is secured."

It was quite a beautiful evening, the moon was full, the stars were shining, and the sky was clear. It would be a beauty if the current situation was a little bit more… pleasant.

After an hour, they arrived at the village, but they weren't expecting to see tens, hundreds of Risen corpses, scattered around the ground. But at a closer inspection of the bodies, they do not look like one. They were quite human, and they all seemed peacefully sleeping. And the weirdest part was everyone of the corpses were smiling, like they were released from some sort of curse. They seemed to die happily, free from sin and regret.

Lucina was the first to speak. "These people…..they are….."

"Happy….. free….." Chrom finished the sentence that his daughter can't. It was quite a beautiful sight. Coupled with the beauty that was noticed earlier, it was serene. The tense atmosphere that they have was replaced by a peaceful, warm one.

"Are you sure there were risen here? There are hundreds of corpses, but they don't look like Risen to me." Chrom asked Satoshi, but this time, the tactician cannot answer.

"We should explore the village more, should we split up or look together?" Lucina asked, while looking around for signs of threats

"I think we should stick together, just to make sure…."

"I agree with Chrom, we couldn't be too sure about this."

The three of them searched the village, but found no one, not even a single enemy.

After an hour, they proceeded to search the center of the village, the very lifeline of this town.

"I can't believe this village was abandoned. It looks so peaceful and quiet. And the corpses we found all looked the same. No blood, no cuts or other damages. They were intact, smiling, and all of them were facing up. Towards the sky, as if thanking the gods. I wish my future was like this, quiet and serene."

"Don't worry Lucina, we'll-"

They all stopped walking, surprised plastered on their faces. In the middle of the town was a fountain, with a statue of Naga, pouring water, as if to nurture the grounds below it. Sitting near the fountain was a girl, holding a sword, praying in front of the fountain. The girl looked behind her and saw the three of them, staring at her.

"Who…..are you people….?"

A/N:

Hey everyone. So this fanfic is sort of a sequel to my first fanfic "My Last Memory". It features the Character from fire emblem 12 which you can also customize. Sort of like an OC of the game. This fanfic is a "what if" scenario. What if Naga sent people from the past to help Chrom and save the future.

So clarifications, some of you may be confused on the first part with "Nagi". So here's the thing, in fire emblem 12, there was a character named Nagi. It was implied that she was the resurrected version of the divine dragon Naga.

So, if this looked terrible, it's partly my fault. For one, I have yet to play the game (I have a 3DS though, and planning on buying the game). The second one is this is kinda rushed, I wrote this in an hour and a half. So I apologize if my work kinda sucks.

Anyways, your criticisms, comments and thoughts about the story are always heard. Again, I apologize. I hoped you enjoyed this story, please read and review.

Thank you, and have a merry life. ^^


	2. We choose to forget

We choose to forget

They were looking at her cautiously. Wondering who this mysterious stranger is and what she's doing in the middle of town. You couldn't just run into a brunette, clad in red robes in a middle of a village full of corpses. She also had an eye patch covering her right eye and a black scarf around her neck. Also, the uncovered, brown left eye is also a sight to behold. Judging from her appearance, she is a capable fighter, but how capable is something they couldn't guess.

"We heard that…. there was an attack. We just wanted to know if the threat is real." Lucina answered nervously. She doesn't know if the stranger is a friend or foe, so her manner of speaking was cautious. Her slight mistake, a wrong word or something she says might agitate the stranger.

"Is that so…" She looked back at the fountain "This is a beautiful evening, isn't it?"

"Yes, quite." Lucina answered back, keeping her guard as she replied.

"You know, you shouldn't act apprehensive you know. I'm not going to hurt you and your friends, unless you initiate an attack." She dropped her sword and her tome on the ground, she then opens her arms to show that she's no threat.

Satoshi asked this time. "A sword and a tome, are you perhaps a tactician?" Seeing another tactician, he was intrigued. It was pretty rare to see another one of the same class as his.

"I'm sorry, I'm not. Although, I am indeed good at battle strategies, I am a mere knight."

"Excuse me, can we ask your name and what is your business here?" It was Chrom's turn to ask this time

"My name is….ugh!" Suddenly, she contorted in pain, clutching her right eye in pain.

"Is anything wrong? What's the matter?" Said Chrom as he tried to approach her

"No… stay back… don't ah!" He suddenly stopped in his tracks, wondering what's wrong with her.

"Those things…. from earlier… more of them….mindless soldiers…. hah.." She suddenly dropped to her knees, taking deep breaths while attempting to gather herself up

"Risen? Don't tell me- How'd you know?! Did you send them?" Lucina, driven by her assumption, took her blade out and points it toward the mysterious knight

"F-falchion? W-where did you-" But before she could finish her sentence, an arrow narrowly misses its target, prompting everyone to look towards its direction. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to spot the archer who tried to put an arrow through her head.

"Risen! Everyone, watch out for enemy archers and oncoming melee attacks" Satoshi shouted, taking his tome out of his robe. Lucina was guarding Chrom's back, looking out for signs of enemy approach. It was then when the Satoshi spotted at least six risen myrmidons running towards them.

"Tch… everyone, stand your-" His orders were cut off when a flash of red zoomed beside him, rushing towards the enemies that were trying to attack them. One of the risen myrmidons attempted to slash her, but misses utterly. All of their attacks towards her were deflected. Chrom was shocked upon seeing this display of swordsmanship. He had never seen anything.

She blocked a hit from an axe that was supposed to hack off his head.

"Father, please concentrate."

"I'm sorry Lucina, I'll try to focus" Chrom said as he tried to focus on the oncoming enemies.

After an hour of battling there were only a few Risen left. Their strategy was effective and they managed to utilize their full capabilities without breaking a sweat. As they approached the bulk of the Risen army that they were fighting, they were quite a lot, but they figured out that they could manage. Mostly composed of snipers and dark knights. But what was intriguing is that there were at least, four Risen chiefs where their main force is at. Chrom proceeded on taking the snipers, while Lucina and Satoshi focus on the dark knights. Their plan was to separate the enemies then take them into a tight spot where they can take them one by one without suffering much damage. Of course, they didn't include the stranger that they met in their strategies due to uncertainties on which side she was on. What they weren't expecting was for her to rush the enemies then proceeded to battling them.

After another grueling hour, they finally won. They took no casualties, not even considerable damage. After the battle, Chrom decided to ask the knight some few questions. He approached the girl to try to ask her. She decided to talk but was cut off when Chrom started.

"First off, what's your name? And second, that technique, where did you learn how to wield a sword and a tome? Such masteries in both weapons is pretty rare."

"My name….. is Aya." She stood up from where she was sitting and approached Chrom. "And my technique, I just…. learned it." Aya took a closer look on Chrom and Lucina. "Now, answer my question, how did you acquire Falchion?"

To Chrom, it seems kind of weird. For someone to not know that the sword Falchion is House Ylisse's treasured weapon, along with the shield of seals.

"This is the royal treasure of Ylisse. It was said that the hero-king of old Archanea, King Marth, used it to defeat the earth dragon named Medeus. Weren't this taught in some history lessons? You should at least know who King Marth is." Chrom looked at her to see that she was looking at a distance, remembering something. So he stopped talking and allowed her to absorb what he told her.

"I see, that was quite…. a rich history" She said with a sad tint on her voice.

"By the way, my name is Chrom, leader of the shepherds, and the current king of house Ylisse."

"Then, I should address you properly, king Chrom." Chrom then looked awkwardly at her. She sat back at her previous seat then proceeds on talking. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it that you want?"

"Since you said that you're a king, I was thinking if I could join your army?"

This shocked Chrom. Indeed she was a great fighter, far greater than anyone he had seen so far. In truth, he thought that she would be a great addition to the army. Someone like her would prove useful fighting for Chrom. And what timing, they were at war with Valm, surely this is a good time to accept her offer.

"I'm sorry, but can I ask my allies on this? I want to hear their opinions towards this."

"It's okay, take your time." She smiled at him softly. Chrom took this as a sign of approval then heads towards Lucina and Satoshi, not far away from their location.

Chrom found them inspecting a church inside the town. Lucina looked back towards her father then asked.

"So, learned anything about her father?"

"Only her name. She says that her name is Aya, a knight from some far away land. And she also wanted to join our army."

Satoshi decided to speak up. "Well that's a twist. We don't know where she's from, or who she is serving, and yet she decides to join us. Some loyal knight she is."

"He's right father, she might be an assassin sent to kill you. You saw how she fought, and how she uses both the sword and the tome. She could annihilate a number of our men, and that would give the enemy an advantage."

"I know Lucina, I considered that as well. But don't you think that an enemy assassin should be….. inconspicuous. Regardless, her time in joining us couldn't be better. She would be a great asset towards out cause."

Satoshi and Lucina both looked at each other, then sighed. "It's your decision father. Whatever you choose, we will accept it."

"Thank you for your opinions, both of you." He then ran back towards Aya.

He arrived at where she is sitting. "We decided to let you join, and judge your worth in doing your duties properly. Could you please kneel?"

At his orders, Aya kneeled on one foot. "I know this is informal but, here it goes." He then took out Falchion. "As king of Ylisse, I now name you a knight of Ylisse. Sworn to protect its lands, repel its enemies and serve the country." He then tapped his sword on both her shoulders.

"Rise now, uhm, knight Aya" Chrom said nervously. It's actually his first time to knight someone. Now his mind was wandering. Was his tapping too strong? Did he say something wrong? All those thoughts were running on his head

Aya took notice of this, but didn't mind. She then saw Lucina and Satoshi approaching them from afar.

"It seems that you accepted her Father." Lucina then looked at Aya "And as for you, if you even think of betraying us, I will personally destroy you."

Aya then sighed. "I won't even think of it. And if worse comes to worse…. take my life."

"Now that's enough you two. We should head back to camp. We will head towards port ferox, find a ship then sail towards Valm. Aya, we will debrief you about our plans tomorrow."

"Yes, under-" But before she could continue what she was saying, She suddenly felt weak.

"Aya, is something wrong?" Chrom tried to approach her.

"I'm….. fine." She lied, not wanting to worry her liege, but it was a fruitless attempt.

"Are you sure you don't look so good? Maybe you've been pushing yourself too hard while you were travelling." She did not respond.

"Are you fine, hey, tell me. Aya? Aya!" That was the last thing she heard before she passed out again. Before she fell on the ground, Chrom caught her just on time.

"Maybe I should carry her towards the camp"

"Father, are you sure we could trust her. I'm still having doubts about you accepting her."

"Don't worry Lucina, we could trust her. Don't you remember our talk about the time we found Satoshi on the plains? A lot, especially Fredrick, won't even trust him. And look at him now."

Chrom suddenly grabbed Lucina's shoulder. "Don't worry, I think I know what I'm doing." With that, they headed back towards their camp.

-the next day-

She woke up to find herself sleeping inside a tent. She sat up, checking around to see if anything is okay. She noticed that someone entered the tent. Upon looking, it was a small, yellow haired girl. She was also carrying a tray with food and drinks on it.

"Oh, so you're finally awake." She put down her tray on a nearby table. "Chrom brought you here yesterday. He said you passed out or something. By the way, my name is Lissa." Lissa approached Aya to check on her. "I think there's nothing serious in there, probably a little fatigue." Lissa then walked towards the entrance of the tent. "You better get out there, everyone wants to meet you." With that, she left.

Aya stood up from her bed, fixed herself, brought some clothes and went outside. When she got out, she saw that everyone was preparing their supplies, weapons and some personal materials. She then looked at some people sparring. She then walked around to explore the camp. While she was walking around, a lot of people were staring at her. Probably wondering who she is and what she's doing here. She then decided to look for a pond to wash her face for a bit. While looking around, she bumped with sully.

"Watch where you're- oh, I've never seen you here before?" Sully tried to straighten herself in front of the stranger. "What's your name and your business in being here?"

Aya bowed in front of her. "My name is Aya, I'm a new knight serving under king Chrom."

"A new knight you say?" Sully looked questioningly. 'What's he thinking? Knighting someone out of the blue? Is he that desperate?' "Hmm, now you had me curious, how about a spar to test your worth as a knight?"

"I must respectfully decline, milady." Aya was about to walk away when suddenly, sully grabbed a practicing spear and pointed it towards her. "Who said that you could decline? Grab a weapon and fight me. I must make sure that he didn't just take you out of desperation or mercy."

Aya sighed. She's looking for a little peace. But it seems that peace doesn't like her very much.

"If you insist milady, but we should look for a better spot. Fighting in the middle of camp seems kind of strange isn't it?"

Sully laughed at her reply. "But I insist, treat it as a test of your abilities. Everyone in camp will watch you fight. Who knows, maybe they'll learn something interesting."

Everyone nearby was now gathered around them, curious to what is happening. Word was spreading that the "new girl" will be fighting Sully. Now, more people are gathering around them, chanting and cheering.

Aya sighed again. 'well, better get this over with.' She grabbed a nearby practice sword and readied herself. "Strike whenever you want milady."

She smirked. "Don't be too confident you know?" Looking back at her opponent, Sully noticed that she was calm, waiting for her to attack.

Meanwhile, Chrom was at his tent when he heard the commotion outside. Annoyed by the sudden noise, he went outside to find that some soldiers were gathering around something. Upon further inspection, Chrom found out that Aya and Sully are in the middle of the camp. It also seems that Sully is trying to challenge Aya to a match. 'Well this is interesting'

"Chrom, you should stop them from fighting. She's just recovering from passing out yesterday. She'll be massacred!" Lissa shouted from behind him.

"Maybe I should, she's just new around here." 'What was she thinking, asking for a fight?!' Chrom walked towards the commotion.

Back at the match, Sully was readying for a strike, waiting an opportunity to strike. There was lot of cheering going on around.

"Go get her, Sully"

"Teach the new girl a lesson!"

Even Vaike, Frederick and Satoshi were now watching.

She noticed that her opponent is looking at the people gathering around them, letting her guard down. 'This is my chance to strike!' Sully rushed Aya quickly, pointing her lance at her opponent's chest. 'You're going down' She was sure that she will hit her opponent. Her speed combined with Aya was distracted, she was sure to hit her mark.

What she wasn't expecting was for her opponent to parry the attack. "What the-!" She couldn't finish her sentence. A quick punch to her stomach sent her staggering back, away from Aya. After that, Aya tried a sideward slash towards Sully's midsection. She didn't have the time, nor the speed, to dodge the oncoming attack, so she blocked it. But it proved to be useless as her opponent's strike changed mid course, aiming for her lance arm. She noticed this too late and was hit with full force. But as an act of desperation, she managed to hit her with the opposite end of her lance to her face, before dropping it and falling to her knees while panting. She noticed Aya, pointing her practice sword at towards her neck, smiling. "I win" Aya then drove her sword to the ground, just beside Sully's neck.

"I apologize for the trouble, but I will take my leave, milady." She rubbed the part where the lance hit her face, then walked towards the nearby pond she spotted. Everyone on the crowd parted when she walked towards them. They were silent, nto expecting the result of the battle.

Chrom arrived at the scene, just in time for her new knight to walk away. He then noticed Sully's eyes widening in Shock that someone was able to defeat her in the same way. He looked back at Aya walking away.

"Lissa, tend to her wounds. I need to talk to somebody" Chrom then headed towards her direction while Lissa helped Sully stand up and go to the infirmary.

After a few minutes, she arrived at the pond. She then proceeds on washing her face. She was about to take her clothes off when she heard rustling behind her. She was also about to ask when she saw it was just Chrom.

"Good day, my liege. Are you distrustful enough that you should see your new knight even when bathing?" Aya then laughed at his reaction.

"You were- I mean, were you-…I'm sorry…" Chrom looked down on shame, about to invade a girl's personal time.

"Its okay milord, is there something you need?" Upon being asked, Chrom became serious again and asked her this time. "Why'd you do that? You know that no one in this army could match your skills." Aya looked at the pond in front of her then sat down.

"I wanted to prove my worth to everybody, that I'm capable of doing things to be of service. When she said that it was to judge my abilities as a knight, I was challenged. I wanted everyone to trust me."

"What happened to the one you're serving before me?"

Aya held her knees close to her head, and looked sadly at the pond in front of her. "I was his most trusted knight, he said that we were two halves of an even greater whole. We were fighting together, sharing every victory, regretting every defeat, and grieving the allies we both lost. He and I….. were really close. We spent time together, and because of that, we fell in love with each other."

She smiled sadly and continued. "But we both knew it was impossible, he was a hero, a crowned prince, and most of all, he was engaged. I was a mere knight, and he is my liege. I tried to distance myself, to be as far away from him as possible. But after a while, he confronted me, asking what was wrong. I tried to tell him I'm okay, but he didn't believe me."

Chrom now sat beside her, looking at her intently. "He knew that I couldn't lie to him for so long, and I told him. I was about to walk away when he…..we… acted on our love, let our heart's desires be fulfilled. After that, I felt guilty. I was in love with an engaged man. I was hurting myself, him and her fiancé. So I ran away, far from them as possible."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Chrom was staring calmly at the same pond she was staring

Aya then sighed. "Well, I think you deserved to know my liege. You're probably thinking that I'm some whore or the sort." She looked at him. "So, will you still keep me as you knight, or are you taking back your decision?"

Chrom stood up then looked at her. "What you told me won't affect my decision. You are still a knight of Ylisse, regardless of your background."

She stood up again, not facing him. "I see…"

"I'll be going back to camp to check on things. I'll be seeing you around." Aya smiled at him. Taking this as an act of confirmation, he went back to the camp.

Aya then looked back sadly at the pond. "He's just like you, isn't he, my love?" After a few minutes of sight-seeing, she took off her clothes and went towards the pond, forgetting all her troubles, just for a bit.

A/N:

I'm really sorry for updating this late, for this being quite crappy, and for this to seem rushed. I was really busy due to the exams week on our school. So I hoped you enjoyed the first one so far, and thank you for all the reviews, follows and faves this story got.

Anyways, thank you and have a blessed evening.


	3. For the little things

For the little things we love

After finishing her bath and changing her clothes, Aya headed back to the infirmary to rest and lie down. She was taking her time in walking towards the direction of the camp. The location was quite nice, the birds are singing, the trees are growing quite nicely, and the breeze hitting you face. She couldn't have asked for a better spot. In times like these, the little things like this warms up her heart.

She noticed some people preparing for a long and tedious journey. Making sure that the supplies are managed and the weapons are in good condition. She spotted Satoshi checking things up. She decided to approach him.

"Good day, milord."

Upon hearing her voice, he looked around to see her in some casual clothe, blue colored pants and some white shirt. It was an un-knightly sight for him, so he decided to ask.

"Why aren't you wearing your armor? What if we found an enemy?"

"Don't worry, I think I can manage." She sighed as she answered his question.

"You know, for a knight, you don't look like one." He said as he tried to lecture her on some important stuff.

"Judging someone based on what that person's wearing, that coming from a strategist seems kind of strange." She replied with a slight smirk on her face.

"Fine, have it your way. Anyway, Chrom requested a strategic meeting later. It's about our plans on moving. He also requested that you should come."

"Thanks for informing me. If you may excuse me, I would like to take my leave, milord" She didn't even wait for his reply before walking away towards the infirmary. Satoshi just sighed and continued on checking the weapons.

She arrived at the infirmary a few minutes later. She sat down her clothes and armor beside her. She then lied on an empty bed to rest, allowing sleep to take her away.

-Meanwhile-

After leaving Aya, Chrom decided to check on Sully if she was alright. That spar earlier didn't end well for the said paladin. Chrom remembered the disappointed look on her face when she was defeated in such a manner that she didn't even manage to inflict significant damage to her opponent. Her morale has been dealt a heavy blow.

After a few minutes of walking, Chrom arrived at Sully's tent. Seeing that she was being tended by Lissa, he proceeded to ask his sister concerning her.

"Lissa, is everything alright?"

"Everything's okay Chrom. All the damage she took was healed by my staff. All she needs now is rest."

At this point, Chrom sat beside Lissa to take a closer look at Sully.

"She took quite a beating earlier you know. That's understandable."

"But seriously, who was that girl? I was expecting her to be defeated, regardless of her recovering. After seeing her fight, I wouldn't even worry about her even if she's hit by an arrow!" Lissa said in a dramatic manner, asking for answers from her brother.

"She was just someone we met yesterday while we were checking the village with the risen on it." He said in a matter-of-factly manner.

"Obviously." She sighed as she shook her head "But really, I doubt that you could even beat her at a match." She said teasingly. Chrom cringed at the thought of being at the opposite end of Aya's blade.

"No thank you. I would gladly decline that offer." Due to the noise, Sully slowly opened her eyes to see Chrom and Lissa looking at each other. They won't even notice her waking up if she didn't even speak.

"Uhg…..where am I?"

"Oh, Sully, you're awake!" "Lissa said happily as she looked at her.

"Well, it's good to see you're okay." Chrom looked at her relieved.

Sully rises from her bed and looks at Chrom. "Where is she?"

"Taking a bath. You know, that was pretty dumb of you Sully." Chrom said as he tried to lecture her

"Yeah, I know. Don't underestimate my opponents. But still, I didn't expect that. How did you find her?"

Chrom sighed. "While we were in that village yesterday, she found her. After the fight, she said she wanted to join us. And besides, you saw how she fought, surely she can help our cost."

"You always find the strangest allies during strange occasions. Well, she is good, I can tell you that." She said as she tried to grab the cup of water Lissa's trying to give her.

"Well, I just wanted to check if you're alright. I'll be taking my leave then." With that, Chrom left the tent. He then proceeded to look around the camp. He noticed Satoshi inspecting the supplies with the help of her daughter, who is also Satoshi's wife, Lucina. He noticed some people as well, Vaike training, Sumia petting her Pegasus, and Frederick checking the perimeter of their location. For him, everyone is busy. 'As it should be' He thought of. He also remembered that were was a strategy meeting in a few minutes, so he went into the planning tent to prepare it. As he walked around, he took note of everyone working, except one…

'Aya, now where is that girl anyway?' He decided to not bother himself about her well-being and pay no mind.

-After a few hours-

He decided to call all the shepherds, as well as some people, including Flavia and Basilio.

"Now, as you all know we are-" He was interrupted by someone entering the tent.

"I'm terribly sorry, milord." Aya said as she took a seet beside Lucina.

"Okay….back to my topic. The reason why I called you here is to discuss our plans. Some of you may not know, but we will set sail towards Valm to attack them at their homeland. Are the supplies ready?"

Satoshi spoke this time. "It is Chrom, no need to worry. We have supplies that will last for at least a month. And also all the weapons are in good condition."

Aya sat there, not really listening to what they're saying, although she could make sense on some parts. She was distracted in the current situation she's in, thinking about what to do. Her train of thoughts was broken when Chrom called her out. She noticed that the meeting was over and Chrom was beside her, looking at her.

"Hey, what seems to be the problem? You seem kind of distracted."

"I'm sorry milord." She said as she stood up. "I just got a lot of things in my head."

Chrom sighed. "Look, we can't have people distracted in the battlefield. You of all people should know this. If you want, you can talk to me."

"It's fine, really. Don't bother yourself about my well-being, milord. There are far more important things." She went to the entrance of the tent. "If you'll excuse me." Not really waiting for his reply, Aya left the tent.

'What am I to do with her?' Chrom thought of as he fixed his belongings and went outside.

For the next few days, they all travelled towards port Ferox, which was quite uneventful. There were no Risen, no bandits, and no sign of the Valmese army. After they arrived at the port, they grabbed the fleet that was promised by the plegians then sailed towards Valm. Satoshi said if the situation keeps on like this, they would arrive within a day or two. The majority of the shepherds took this time to relax, some even used this time to prepare for battle. Chrom, Satoshi, as well as Flavia, Basilio and Frederick were inside the captain's quarters to keep track on the current situation, forming strategies and supplies just in case of a sudden attack.

Meanwhile, Aya was looking at the ocean that they were sailing at, the calmness of it, along with the calm ocean breeze hitting your face. This is the kind of feeling that she wants. Free from all the troubles and fights going on around. Sometimes she wishes that everyone would just drop their weapons and keep on maintaining peace, instead of hacking and slashing another person for the glory of who they're serving. She was an exception though. She wasn't fighting for glory, riches and fame. She was fighting for peace, no matter how ironic that is. She sometimes wishes that there were other means of achieving this sort of calmness and tranquility, but it seems that there are other people who won't agree with her.

Her musings were cut off when she heard a voice from behind her.

"What are you doing here? Are you planning something to sabotage our plans and kill us all?"

She turned around to see Lucina with her arms crossed, eyeing her aggressively.

"Oh, Princess Lucina, It's nice to see you-"

"Cut the formalities, I know you're planning something."

Aya sighed at this, why must people disturb her when she is alone?

"Lady Lucina, I'm not planning anything that would harm my liege, you, or this army. I'm fighting under your banner."

Lucina approached her. "Oh, then what are you doing here then? Surely you aren't just 'staring' at the ocean for no apparent reason."

Aya turned her back away from Lucina, and faced the direction she was facing earlier. "I was just…..reminiscing about some things."

Lucina noticed the sad tone she spoke of, so she tried to stop herself from saying anything more. "I see. But I still don't trust you."

Aya cut her off before she could continue, still staring at the ocean. "What must I do to gain your trust milady? Surly you have some thoughts on how too."

'You arrogant little-' Lucina gritted her teeth, barely restraining herself from grabbing falchion from its hilt and pointing it at her. "I'll be keeping my eye on you. Don't even think of doing anything horrible."

"Whatever you see fit, princess." With that, Lucina walked away from her. But she can't take off her mind about this voyage. Something was off. If this is war, why wasn't anyone attacking them? Surely, the enemy would've heard about their voyage. She decided to push those thoughts away, taking in the tranquility that she's currently experiencing, even for a short time.

After a few hours, Chrom, Satoshi, Lissa and Lucina were in the middle of the ship, taking everything from the sights, to the feel of being on a ship.

Satoshi was looking around. "This is so…breathtaking. It feels like all our troubles are far away from us"

"Yeah, but don't forget. We are heading towards trouble after all. We should be thankful that the plegians have given us this fleet. Although I've never set foot on a ship like this, let alone be the captain."

"This is my first time sailing as well. In my time, all the ships were destroyed along with their ports. This is just so breathtaking." Lucina said quite sadly.

"Lucina….there are a few things I would like to us. After you stopped Emm's assassination, why didn't you stay with us? Why did you disappear all of a sudden?"

"I felt that there was no other choice. I was afraid to mess around and change the series of events, to alter things that I shouldn't. My only mission was to interfere with events relating to Grima's resurrection."

Lissa interrupted this time. "Wait, what about that assassin that tried to kill Chrom? What would've happened if you didn't stop it?"

"Well, he would've been fatally wounded that might lead to some terrible events in the near future." Lucina looked at Lissa.

"Well, it's a good thing you changed things, huh?"

"But if they indeed have changed, time always finds a way to go back to its original course." Lucina said sadly. "Take the Exalt's death for example….. Sure, the assassination attempt was countered, but in the end, she still died, I just….delay things to an extent."

"….You did what you could"

"I thought that everything would be fine, that I saved the world. But time just finds a way back to its course. Perhaps the task is too great for me. Sometimes I wonder….what would happen if I did things the other way. I always replay those events, over and over again I…."

"Don't, you did your best." He said as he tried to comfort his daughter. "And besides, you saved me after all. I've got to thank you for that." He then rubbed Lucina's head to reassure her that everything's fine.

Lucina's heart warmed at the affection given to her by her father, but she's still not too sure. "You're kind father, but what if…what if someone take your life?"

"Lucina, do you know…..how I die?"

Lucina sighed. "Only rumors. I heard that you fell in a great battle to change destiny. And that you were murdered, betrayed by someone close to you. That's why I think you should have second thoughts on that knight of yours father. What if she kills you? What if she does something to you? You know if she does, we have no chance of fighting her back. I doubt that even you could defeat her."

Chrom looked at her seriously. "Lucina, we talked about this. I think we could trust her. And if my gut feeling said so, I know its right." As Chrom and Lucina was talking, Satoshi suddenly clutched his head in pain.

"Ngh! Ah….."

"Is something wrong Satoshi?" Chrom suddenly looked at him.

"Its nothing….. I'm fine, really."

Lucina continued what she was saying. "After your murder and Grima's return, I took the name Marth and fought back. I prayed to the Hero-King for a small part of his strength he used to save the world."

Unknown to them all, Aya was listening from a not-so-far place from where they are talking. Her curiosity demanded for her to listen intently on the conversation.

"But now, I fight as Lucina, the name that reminds me of the strength of the man and woman who chose it. But I feel so ashamed. I even forgot who my own mother was." Lucina said as tears were threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes.

"Don't worry, whoever your mother was, I think she is proud of you. Your strength, our strength as a family will make even Grima cringe in fear." He said as he reassured his daughter one more time.

"Milord." Fredrick suddenly walked towards them, along with Flavia and Basilio. Aya decided to show herself and walk towards the group.

"What is it Frederick?"

"Pegasus knights reports that a Valmese fleet is headed straight for us. What's worse is that we're matched, ship for ship."

"Coming from you, this sounds like a bad news."

"It is milord, their men vastly outnumber ours. While our ships are half full at best, theirs is full with soldiers, from ship to stern."

"If we attempt to clash with them head-on, it'll be a slaughter."

Flavia sighed. "We've got no choice but to try anyway. Plegia spared us no men, but they were generous enough to give us a lot of supplies, including oil. Perhaps a clever tactician can find a use for that."

"Perhaps…" Satoshi said, trying to find a way to take on the enemy.

"If we could set their ships ablaze, they'd have nowhere to go. We could then take them on one by-"

She had no time to finish what she was saying, Basilio decided to cut her off. "Hold on, are you saying we risk our lives and be roasted?! Are you that eager to die woman?!"

"Do you have a better idea, you imbecile?!" Flavia roared at him. "Problem is… we don't have a catapult…..What better way to set the enemy's ships on fire without risking a few men?"

Aya suddenly interjected. "Unless we want our ships to be on fire…"

Basilio looked at her dejectedly. "So you want to-"

Satoshi interrupted him in support on what Aya said. "She's right. We could set their ships ablaze without risking major manpower." He looked at Chrom. "I've got an idea"

"Those words from your mouth are music to my ears Satoshi."

"But in order for our plan to succeed, we need to disrupt their chain of command. We need to select our best men and attack the lead ship and kill their general. And as the captain, I would like you to lead the squad, but you're the king so I was thinking-"

"Yes, I am the king. That's why no one can order me not to go. I'll lead the assault."

"Then this plan truly stands a chance." Satoshi sighed, hoping this plan would work.

"Heh, so much has changed since we found you that day, lying in the open field…. It was hard to think that you would determine the fate of our entire army, our entire people. Destiny sure has a strange way."

"No Chrom, it's not destiny."

"What?" Chrom asked, looking strangely at Satoshi.

"We're not pawns on some scripted fate, I believe we're more…much More."

"How do you mean?"

"There's something between us all, something that keeps us all together….." Satoshi's expression changed to a soft one "Like…. Some sort of invisible ties, connecting us….. giving us strength." Satoshi then looked at him defiantly. "We forged those ties, we strengthen them. Whatever we do to them, its by our choices, not by some stupid predetermined destiny."

"Satoshi…" Chrom suddenly laughed. "I think the sea's getting to your head."

Satoshi sighed again. "Alright, I guess its enough philosophy for one day. There are still some things to finish."

"Indeed it is. Some preparations are to be made as well. Oh, and Satoshi. Weather those ties of yours really exist or not, I'm glad it's with you all."

Chrom then looked at everyone. "Alright, look lively everyone. We've got some things to prepare." With that, everyone in the group moved out. Aya was about to walk away when Chrom called her.

"Aya"

"Yes, my liege?"

"You're coming to our squad, whether you like it or not."

Aya looked at him "It'll be my pleasure to serve, my liege." With that, Aya proceeded to look for enemy ships while Chrom headed to where Satoshi was going.

After all the necessary preparations were in order, they decided to bring only one ship that can accommodate the squad Chrom chose to bring, fill it up with a lot of oil, then head straight for the lead ship where their general is located. When all of the important things done, they proceeded to go with the plan.

After a few moments, they spotted the lead ship. But it wasn't along. Along with it, sailing towards them, are two more ships.

'Probably escort ships' Satoshi thought as he tried to look around if more enemy ships.

Meanwhile, on the enemy general's ship, they saw Chrom's heading towards them.

"They choose to attack three of ours with just a single, petty ship of theirs?" Ignatius laughed. "They're either incredibly brave, or just stupid." He signaled his men. "Order the fliers to attack them. Once they are distracted, board their ship, understood?"

One of his men replied. "Yessir!"

"It doesn't matter. I'll see to it that they'll be swimming with the fishes….if they could still swim that is." With that, the enemy fliers were sent to confront Chrom's ship.

At the opposite end of the conflict, Virion spotted the enemy fliers heading towards them. "Everyone, there's some pretty nasty Wyverns heading our way." He alerted them as he grabbed his bow and tried to shoot some of the enemies. Sumia, Cordelia and Cherche were alerted and took to the air just above their ship to confront them. They were on the defensive, and it was proved to be quite an easy task, due to the fact that the enemy decided to attack the bulk of their force. In a matter of minutes, the fliers were defeated with ease and those who fought the enemy fliers returned to their ship to restock and recuperate.

Ignatius caught sight of this and became angry. 'Damn those blasted wyvern riders'. "Stand your ground men, don't falter in front of the enemy" Ignatius said to his men.

After a few minutes of sailing, they were close to the enemy ships. So close that the enemy ships were able to drop a bridge to board Chrom's Ship.

"Charge!" Chrom ordered in a shouting manner as they began to attack.

"Don't let them get to you. Kill them all!" Ignatius ordered his men.

Chrom and his squad were pushing them back. With Kjelle blocking the bridge from the ship to the left, Sumia and Cordelia, along with Virion and Vaike towards the ship on their front, the only thing they would need to mind is the general's ship, where the majority of the forces are located. Frederick and Sully, who was now fully recovered, blocked the double bridge towards the lead ship while Satoshi casted spells and Lucina was throwing javelins towards the enemy. With the forces near the bridge decimated, Aya and Chrom rushed towards them. Aya was cutting down enemies one by one. She was almost hit by a bronze lance, but she deflected it.

Chrom's forces are nearing Ignatius. He was about to move from his spot when he saw some wyvern riders and a wyvern lord from afar. "All back up units, assist those who are being attacked and back them up" He ordered all the newly arrived back-up units.

Frederick and Satoshi saw this and informed Lucina about it. They decided to leave Aya and Chrom to deal with the lead ship. Lissa took notice of this, as well as Sumia and Cordelia, so they also decided to support Lucina's group.

Chrom and Aya were having a relatively easy time. Chrom took one enemy after another. Both of them were pretty much unscathed, especially Aya. Chrom deflected an enemy general's sword from chopping his head off, but he couldn't protect himself from another one about to stab him with a lance. Aya saw this, so she suddenly rushed towards the enemy general. Grabbing an armorslayer that by some chance she brought, she rushed with incredible speed as he jumped high above then enemy general, and slashes with all her weight in it, killing the enemy instantly. Chrom then rolled on the floor sideways, allowing Aya to finish the other general. They looked at each other and decided to rush towards Ignatius' remaining forces, which was conveniently around him.

Ignatius saw the events turn for the worse. His back-up fliers were easily defeated, and now, their enemy approaches him. He was readying his weapon when he caught sight of the pair who was running towards him.

'Just those two? This'll be easy.' "Alright men, charge them altogether. But keep them alive. I want to send them to master Walhart for crimes against our empire." He again ordered his men to attack the oncoming pair, leaving him along.

The two stopped as they saw the men around Ignatius begin to rush at them. Aya kept her sword then looked at Chrom.

"Milord, if you could, I would like you to rush the enemy commander while I deal with his men." She said as she was beginning to take out her fire tome.

Chrom began to protest. "Wait, you're going to deal with them with just….. THAT?" He asked as he eyed the tome she's holding. "You could at least stick to your sword"

"Don't worry. I'll just catch up to you when I could, milord. Trust me on this one. Oh, and hold on to this, you'll need this more than me milord" She then handed her the armorslayer she's been using a while ago. Aya looked at Chrom while smiling. He had no time to reply as she ran full speed towards the group.

'Dammit…' With no choice left, he just followed through her plan. He looked back at her, hopefully not for the last time. He ran towards Ignatius, surprisingly, there were no enemies on his way towards the enemy commander, it was pretty easy on his part.

Ignatius saw Chrom running towards him. He grinned mischievously. 'This'll be easy enough'. He then readied his spear for an oncoming attack.

"You arrogant pup!" He said with courage as her aimed his spear at him. "The seas are my home, and for my fallen allies, it will also be your grave!" He rushed at him, aiming his spear at his head. Chrom rolled on his side as he dodged the oncoming attack. He then grabbed the armorslayer Aya had given to him and decided to use that one. Ignatius was about to pierce Chrom but he deflected it and counterattacked with an upward slash. Ignatius was stumbled and clutched the part where Chrom hit him, and he saw a trickle of blood coming from it. He then rushed Chrom but his wounds prevented him from attacking accurately, so Chrom capitalized on this and delivered a downward slash followed by him slashing his blade with his entire weight to ignatius' stomach. Chrom then dropped armorslayer and wiped the blood that splashed on his face.

"Strike me down…..and ten will take my place…..you have….lost..." Ignatius' final words were followed by the breeze picking up. He then heard footsteps coming to him.

"Too bad though, ten isn't enough." Aya said from behind him with a confident tone. She then took the armorslayer that Chrom dropped. "Are you alright my liege? Are you hurt?" she asked as she approached him, inspecting for any major wounds that his liege may have gotten from the fight.

"I'm alright, you should ask yourself though. I'm surprised you got them." Chrom then faced her. "Let's leave the questions for later, for now, let's just continue our plan" He started running back towards their ship to inform everyone of their success. Aya found herself following Chrom.

A few hours later, they all loaded the ships with oil. Chrom, Satoshi and another soldier was on the lead ship.

"Satoshi, I'll give them the signal." He then looked around. "All appointed ships, change course. Head right at them! Ramming speed!" Chrom ordered.

"…..gods and thunder! Any second now!" The soldier shouted, preparing to jump off any minute.

"Steady….steady…"

"We're right on top of them!"

Chrom shouted "Jump! Now!" he then jumped off the ship along with Satoshi and a few soldiers with them. After a few minutes, they were far away when the ships loaded with oil hit the enemy fleet, setting it all on fire. Satoshi climbed onboard together with the soldiers while the rest were helping them get on. Chrom was climbing the ship when he saw a hand outstretched towards him. "Need a hand?" Aya smiled as Chrom grabbed her hand and she pulled him up, allowing him to stand.

All of them were looking at the enemy fleet, being reduced to nothing by the fire.

"The sea itself is on fire." Lissa exclaimed, never before seeing such a thing like this.

"It worked! It worked!" Frederick was quite happy. He wasn't expecting for it to be successful, he was proven wrong.

"Only you could come up with such a brilliant scheme Satoshi. Who else would desert half our vessels and turn them into cannonballs?" Flavia complimented Satoshi. She was one of those who didn't trust the plan. "And there was still room enough for all of our troops. The Valmeese never saw it coming."

"We may have won the day but the war still looms. We must continue on and seize control of their main harbor" Chrom said sternly, trying to mask his feeling of relief.

It was Basilio's turn to speak. "Aye. I've had enough of this here for a lifetime."

"Full speed for Valm!" Chrom shouted, and the army yelled and raised their weapons in turn.

Meanwhile, Aya was sitting far away from everyone. Looking at them, she was kind of jealous. She missed her previous companions, her family, and her 'real' lord. Even though she's fighting under a different banner, her loyalty and her heart belongs to him. Her expression softened as she reminisced about her old allies. Lucina noticed this as she tried to approach her. She wanted to trust her like her father did, but her fears for the future demands not to, even those close to you.

She decided to not be too harsh on her. "Are you alright? You looked hurt."

Aya looked at Lucina, preventing her inner problems from surfacing. "I'm fine, princess. Although you should tend others as well, their sake is far more important than mine" With that, she stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be taking my leave" She walked away from Lucina. Lucina decided to not press matter about her anymore and chose to join where the others were.

No one noticed Aya's absence. No one noticed her entering her room. No one noticed her sobbing her heart out as she remembered everything, her tough shell breaking into nothing as she cried. She just wished that she could be happy, is that really hard? Eventually, she got tired of it. This wouldn't solve anything, she should be focused. She rubbed her eyes softly and wiped the tears off her face, tomorrow is a big day, she should be at her fullest. She decided to just let herself sleep. Sleep and dream about the stuff she missed. For even the little things like this would warm our hearts.

A/N:

Hi again everyone. So this is the third chapter of this story…..obviously. And I just realized something. I'm terrible at writing fight scenes. Now that that's out of the way, I hope you liked the previous chapters. As always, feel free to review, rate, fave and follow this one.

Thank you everyone, and Merry Christmas in advance.


	4. Don't be afraid

Don't be afraid

_I now knight you as Altea's sword, protect it with everything you have, even your life._

_. . . . ._

_Aya, because of you, I don't have to fear losing anyone._

_. . . . ._

_I'm glad you're my personal guard. I never could've wished anyone better_

_. . . . ._

_Tell me what's wrong….please?_

_. . . . ._

_I love you, I wish I met you first, I wish I met you much sooner, so I could confess my love to you._

_Aya….._

_Aya….._

Aya….wake up. Wake up.

Aya woke up at the sound of Lucina shaking her. She looked around to see where she was, only to find that she fell asleep on her room. 'I must've fallen asleep' Aya thought of as she remembered what happened. She was crying on her room then she fell asleep. Her musings were cut off when she decided to ask Lucina.

"How long was I asleep?"

"A day and a half" Lucina replied. "I came here to wake you up and inform you that we are about to land at the port of Valm" Aya was surprised about the fact that she slept in that amount of time. She wasn't doing a very good job of being a knight, she thought. She rose from her bed but she stopped when something crossed her mind.

"Thank you, princess." She stared at her softly, sincerely thanking Lucina. She knew that she doesn't like her very well, but was concerned enough to at least not leave her on the ship.

"I realized that I was a bit harsh on you. I was just…." Her tone was starting to get shaky "scared…. I'm sorry. I haven't told you my story now, have I?"

Aya shook her head. "You might not believe me but….I came from the future." Lucina was now staring on the ground, trying to remember the time from where she came from. "I was sent here by the divine dragon Naga to fix the past, to prevent Grima from resurrecting and cause havoc from the future. In my time, my parents were…..killed. I heard that he was betrayed by someone close to him. That's why I'm afraid. That's why I don't want to trust anyone, even my closest allies." Lucina looked at her. "You might think that I'm a bit crazy, and I'm not trying to convince you. I just hope that you under-"

"I believe you" Aya told Lucina, surprising her. "The fact that you have Falchion is enough proof that your story is indeed true." Aya was now facing Lucina. "And like I said, if I betray you, your army and even your father, take my life. I assume that you of all people here would get the job done." Aya now stood up from where she was sitting "I just wanted you to trust me, princess. I am your father's knight after all. Your safety is one of my priorities"

Aya decided to ask her. "Speaking of your parents, I never knew who your mother was."

Lucina's eyes widened at her question. "I…forgot who my mother was. I-I wonder what my mother thinks, that her daughter is forgetting her like that" Lucina started to sob when Aya decided to rub her back. Surprised by the action, Lucina stared at her "For what it's worth, I think your mother would be proud to have such a beautiful and brave daughter"

Lucina smiled as she looked at her softly. "Thank you, and I'm sorry. For not trusting you"

Aya just laughed softly at her princess' reply. "It is also my task to ensure my princess' happiness, think nothing of it" Lucina stood up and approached the door. "Father must be worried, we should head back up"

Aya just nodded as Lucina went outside of her room with Aya following her.

When they arrived, Aya looked around and spotted a piece of land not far away from them. She assumed that after a few minutes, they'll arrive soon, so she decided to check on her goods. Weapons, vulneraries and some stuff needed on the battlefield. She was done checking when she heard footsteps just behind her.

"I see you're awake" She turned around to see Chrom smiling at her.

"My liege, it's good to see you" She said as she just finished keeping her sword on its hilt. "Do you need something?"

"About that, Satoshi decided that we should start to use different weapons." Chrom said to her in a commanding order.

"I don't think that I might need to, my liege. However, you should look after yourself"

"Aya, listen to me" Chrom approached her and was speaking right in front of her face. "Don't trust yourself too much. As a knight, I want you to be adept with a lot of things. I would say this to all of my allies as well. I don't want to lose any of you because of an enemy besting you in combat" He was talking to her softly this time.

"Milord…" Aya smiled softly, he was really concerned for her safety. "Thank you…..for worrying about me. I'll try to do whatever I can." She said reassuringly.

"Good, now back to work" He said teasingly then he walked away. Aya sighed, remembering what Chrom suggested. "I don't need to practice milord" She said quietly so no one other than herself could hear.

After a few hours of sailing, they landed on a Valmese port. Lucina and Aya were carrying some supplies down the ship while Chrom and Satoshi went down first to scout ahead. The rest of the army along with the rest of the shepherds is still inside, making some necessary arrangements before going down. Lucina and Aya caught up with Chrom to check on the port as well.

"I see you two getting along quite well" Chrom said as he looked at Aya and Lucina. He also noticed that her daughter was hanging around with Aya without tension. No questioning gazes and no more apprehensive actions towards her.

"We've talked about important things, and we sorted out some. I think we could get used to this, milord" Aya looked up at him.

"That's good." He turned to look at Satoshi "So, how's the area?"

"This is quite a view. I can't believe something like this still exists in Valm" Satoshi said as he looked around, taking in every detail. "I've surveyed the area as well. There's a lot of fortification in the area. We should try not to get their attention until we're sure we're prepared attack them"

Chrom and Lucina are checking things up with Satoshi concerning the preparations needed to be made. Meanwhile, Aya was looking around when she was someone being chased.

'Is that….a girl?' Upon closer inspection, the woman was carrying nothing and was being chased by a few men. On instinct, she gripped her weapon then ran towards the woman being chased.

They all took notice of this, Chrom was about to shout at her when they noticed where she was headed. They saw the same thing she saw. "Gods, someone is being chased"

"Should we call the army Chrom?"

"No, by the time we reach her, it'll be too late" Chrom said nervously, trying to weigh the options on dealing with this. "Let's just follow Aya"

Lucina and Satoshi nodded as they ran towards Aya. They caught up to her as Chrom grabbed her arm, stopping her. She turned around as she felt someone grabbing her, only to find that it was him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I can't just leave her like that!" She was surprised at the way she spoke to Chrom. "I-I'm sorry my liege, but I can't just leave anyone in trouble" She said apologetically, trying to get his grip off of her.

"You shouldn't do things on your own, you know" He released her arm, patting her in the shoulder "We'll help you, just don't do anything reckless" Chrom smiled softly.

"Thank you, milord…." She removed his hand from her shoulder. "Now that you're here, what's the plan?"

"I was thinking that…. while we rescue the girl, you distract the main force from interfering, if that's okay with you" Satoshi suggested as he looked at her.

"If you want, I suggest that I go with her while you and father go rescue the girl"

"No, I wouldn't like to put milady in danger. I would suggest that you go with them"

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Lucina was skeptical about her suggestion

"Trust me on this one, milady" she looked softly at her, trying to convince her that she was enough to get the job done.

Satoshi laughed. "I think this plan might work"

"Alright, we've got work to do. Let's split up" Chrom ordered they followed Satoshi towards the girl while Aya headed straight towards the main force, where the leader is located.

Meanwhile on the port, the woman that was being chased saw some ships from afar. She paused for a bit to look at it carefully.

"Who're- that can't be, it's-" Before she can complete her sentence, a few more men closed in on her. Upon seeing them, she quickly ran away from them. 'I should hold out for a bit. I just hope they saw me….'

"We got her almost cornered!"

"Don't let her get away!"

She heard shouting from behind her, so she ran faster. They could wait. For now, she should find a way to escape.

Chrom and his comrades ran faster, they know that every second wasted is another chance of rescuing her being wasted. On their way there, they saw a few cavaliers blocking their way. Satoshi decided to offer support from behind while Lucina and Chrom take them head on. Lucina threw her javelin to an unsuspecting cavalier, impaling it in chest. The others took notice of this as they began to rush the oncoming group, Satoshi casted an arcwind on the remaining cavliers to stun them, giving a chance for Chrom and Lucina to finish them on. They continued running towards the woman.

Meanwhile, the girl that's being chased was suddenly cornered. Desperate to escape, she grabbed anything within her reach and started to throw it at the ones chasing her, buying herself sometime. When she ran out of objects to throw, the men approached her carefully. They are afraid that she might be hiding something that she could use to attack them. They waited for her to do anything, and it turns out, she's just like a cornered animal that could do nothing. Taking this as an opportunity, the men ran towards her.

The girl was losing all hope when she saw Chrom and his companions running towards her just in time. The men saw them and started to charge him. They repeated what they did earlier with the cavaliers as Satoshi casted another Arcwind at their enemies to stun them followed by Chrom lunging them with his falchion and Lucina singling out an enemy and taking it on. Seeing that it wasn't enough, Satoshi tried to cast another spell but he was hit by an enemy javelin. He grabbed his Nosferatu tome as casted it on a nearby enemy knight, taking it down instantly. His wound slowly started to heal while Chrom and Lucina covered him. The girl decided to help them by picking up a sword dropped by an enemy and join the fight. She started with the enemy knight that threw the javelin. She moved in quickly to dodge an oncoming attack then slashed the knight on the neck, killing it. She then rushed towards Chrom as he and Lucina was still battling some enemy cavaliers. She slashed the back of an unsuspecting cavalier as Chrom finished off the remaining enemies. After the battle, he proceeded to talk with the girl.

"Good thing we saw you here. I'm glad that we're not late though"

"Aye, milord. You must be Chrom, Exalt of house Ylisse"

Chrom was surprised that this lady knows his name. "Have we met before? I don't remember seeing you"

"I've heard of you many times. You have my gratitude" She suddenly dropped the sword she was holding as she bgan talking again. "My name is Say'ri, leader of the-" She was cut off by a large crackling thunderbolt hitting the opposite side of the port. Chrom's eyes widened as he remembered something, or perhaps someone.

"AYA!"

Chrom started to run at the direction where the bolt hit. He started quickening his pace as his companions, along with Say'ri, followed him.

'Damn it, I shouldn't have allowed her to go alone' Chrom was cursing on his mind. He was furious and at the same time worried. Furious because he just talked to her about being careless and fighting enemies, worried because she might be gone by the time they got there. The thought itself made Chrom run faster.

After a few minutes of running, they arrived just in time to see Aya cutting down the commander of the army that was guarding the port. Say'ri looked around to see a lot of corpses of the men that was trying to chase her. She decided to ask.

"Milord, who is she?"

Lucina decided to answer her question. "Her name is Aya, a new knight of Ylisse. Don't worry, she's fighting under our banner" Say'ri looked at her intently, ignoring Lucina's mumblings about it being a good thing.

Chrom started to approach Aya as she was returning her sword back to its hilt.

"Milord, is everything taken care of?"

"Gods, I thought something bad happened to you!" Chrom was shouting at her, relieved that nothing went horribly wrong. "I thought that I lost someone again. You made everyone worried"

"I….didn't know. I'm really sorry for worrying you, my liege" She decided to look beyond where Chrom was standing to see Lucina, Satoshi and Say'ri standing there, looking back at her.

"I see you've rescued her" Aya looked back at him and talked softly. "And I told you didn't I? You don't need to worry about me, milord. I could manage myself pretty well" She walked towards the group then looked at him again. "We should greet our guest properly this time, you know" She smiled then continued walking towards them. With no other choice, Chrom decided to follow her back and talk with the girl they just rescued.

Aya and Chrom reached the group where they began talking. "Nice meeting you milady" Sar'ri greeted her when they arrived.

"You too milady, may I have your name and why you're being chased?" Aya asked, curious to what the girl was up to, enough to even attract attention from the Valmese army.

"Oh, right. I'm Say'ri, fighting for the resistance aiming to overthrow Walhart and end his tyranny"

Chrom was surprised. "Wait, there's a resistance? I thought Walhart destroyed any resisting forces in Valm"

"Aye, he tried. But he can't overwhelm the hearts of the people who want liberty in times of oppression. Across the continent, men have grouped themselves in order to take arms and fight. United, we could destroy Walhart and his army. I've been trying to but….."

"They didn't want to" Everyone looked at Aya as she began to speak. "I'm guessing that they wouldn't fight unless they're engaged or there's something in return" She looked at Say'ri this time. "Everyone is fighting each other, arguing on who will be listed on the history books and be heroes, making them vulnerable"

"Milady is right, everyone in the resistance have their own bargains. They won't join unless they have what they want. I've been trying hard to convince them, but I guess they distrust me because my brother is fighting under Walhart's banner"

"Wait, why is he?" Satoshi asked curiously.

"If I only knew the answer, I would tell you milord. He used to be a good man, but that was years ago. I've severed my ties with him. He's not my brother anymore"

"Milady, I'm not sure why, but whatever his reasons, it must be important to him"

Say'ri looked at Aya dejectedly "And why would that be?"

She then looked at her softly. "I don't know myself, but for a cause so important that you would fight even your own kin? That would be plausible"

Say'ri sighed. "Your argument is sound…..but I….. I would still fight him, I would still cut him down if he were to fight us" She regains her composure and begins to speak. "It is rumored though, that Valm has at least a million soldiers. But I think with your army on our side, we can do this" She said, hope filling every word in her sentence. "Please, King of Ylisse, I beg of you, help us"

"I don't know….. I've got a kingdom to fight for and a future to save…. I just don't know" Chrom was weighing the options of either helping their cause or just leave them to fend for themselves. Someone said that a great battle is amidst, is this it? Should he help them? Are their forces enough?

Aya broke his train of thoughts "If you're having second thoughts my liege, think of it this way. You might have different goals, one is to liberate their people and one is to remove the threat to his kingdom. Both have different objectives, but the ends and the means are the same, end Walhart and his tyranny. And besides, more men means more power" She said, getting everyone to think about it.

"Now that you put it like that, I guess you do have a point" Chrom looked at Say'ri. "Okay, I'll join your cause"

"Thank you, milord, milady, everyone!" Say'ri was bowing in front of Chrom. He then looked at Satoshi awkwardly, getting a thumbs-up for a reply.

He looked again at Say'ri. "So what would it take to unite your people?"

She then raised her head. "I might have an idea, but it's not an easy task"

"Don't worry, I've been through a lot" Chrom reassured her.

She sighed again. "We have to free Naga's voice from the shrine on top of Mila tree. In order to encourage everyone to unite and join our cause"

"Who or what is this 'Naga's voice' you speak of, milady?" Lucina asked.

"She is a manakete. She is said to have lived for thousands of years, guarding and seeing everything. Now, she preaches the teachings of your divine dragon Naga in Valm"

Chrom was now smiling. "It sounds easy enough. Okay, let's head back to the ship to inform our plans to everyone"

Everyone just nodded in confirmation as they began walking towards the ship. Aya was following them when she spotted a person from afar, wearing red robes and holding a tome and a staff. When she looked closer, the person just laughed and walked away. Seeing that she might've just imagined it, she just left it alone, not bothering with it anymore. She continued walking away.

A/N:

I'm really sorry that this little thing right here took long enough. I could only hope that the time it took for it to be finished is up to par with its quality, although, this may not be that good at all. So yeah, comments and suggestions are appreciated. If this was bad for your taste, then I apologize.

Oh yeah, I also plan on fixing the entire story. I'll be trying to fix its grammatical errors, its inconsistencies and some stuff that i forgot to fix due to a lack in proofreading and rush-writing the story.

Belated merry Christmas and a happy new year!


	5. Mistaken identity

Mistaken identity

After a few minutes of preparation, Chrom, along with the Shepherds, head towards Mila Tree. Their mission is to free Naga's Voice and inspire others to take arms, unite the scattered forces of the resistance and fight against Walhart's oppression.

Meanwhile, Aya was fidgeting the handle of her sword thinking about some things. She thought of probable turn of events that would happen. Earlier, she saw a robed man looking at them during their return to the ship. She tossed those thoughts aside, but now that her mind wondered about it, she can't get her mind off of it. She wouldn't be surprised if they were attacked on their way to Mila Tree.

While she was thinking deeply, she didn't notice Sumia looking at her. Sumia heard that she was indeed, a great fighter and gained everyone's trust quickly. Her loyalty, battle prowess and her help in strategizing in a moment's notice proved that she was deserving of that trust, even Lucina was starting to warm up to her. What she didn't know is where did she come from and where did she get her skills on the battlefield. Her curiosity got the best of her as she decided to talk to her.

"Excuse me, you're Aya, correct?"

"Milady, what seems to be the problem?" Aya asked softly. This was not the first time she had a conversation with Sumia. But usually their conversations were about battle preparations.

"Curious, that's all. And by the way, call me Sumia, no formalities needed. We're fellow knights after all"

"Alright, lady Sumia, what seems to be the problem?"

Sumia just sighed at her reply. "I just wanted to ask you about some stuff. It's not out first time talking with each other, but I wanted to know you more, if that's okay with you?"

"Ask away, milady"

"First of all, where did you learn how to fight?" Sumia asked curiously.

"When I was young, my grandfather trained me. He said that I should follow his steps and take up arms to be a knight. Oftentimes, I find myself worked to the ground when I was little, carrying twigs and some wood on the nearby village. It was a form of training"

"Oh my, you do have a rough childhood" She was surprised at what she was hearing

Aya just laughed at her reply and the memories of her childhood flooding her mind. "Yes, but as a result, I never knew how to do some things that women are supposed to do, like sewing, laundry and cooking" Her face darkened at the word 'cooking' "My grandfather always say that everything that I cook tasted like steel. If I say that I'll be the greatest knight in the continent, he would say 'Sure you will'. But when I say that I will cook our food, he would often place himself in front of the kitchen and challenge me to a duel"

Sumia laughed at what Aya was telling her. She never knew that a stern and calm girl had such a great childhood. "Oh my, this is hilarious" She collected herself then continued their conversation. "It's not too late to learn, you know. Want me to teach you how to cook?"

"That would be appreciated milady" She smiled softly at her.

"But in return, I would like you to teach me about combat. It would be nice if I were to improve my skills to protect others"

"That would be nice…."

"It was nice talking to you, thanks for your time" Sumia was happy that she made another friend in times like these.

"The pleasure is all mine, milady" With that, Sumia flew high to scout for anything that might hinder their progress.

After a few minutes of travelling, they arrived at a tall, large tree which they assumed is their destination. Everyone is at awe at the raw size of the thing. Everyone was looking upward towards the treetop.

When they arrived here, Aya just felt at peace, like all her problems have been washed away, cleansing her of all her troubles. But it also reminded her of her former allies.

"That thing is really huge… I've never felt so small before" Lissa was staring at it while heading towards the foot of the tree.

"Indeed, and it really looks peaceful in there. A place fit for a shrine" Fredrick was beside Lissa, watching carefully for anything in the way of the princess. "So, it's hidden on top of its branches, right?"

"Aye, a great staircase inside its trunk leads to the shrine on top" Say'ri drew her blade from its sheath. "Like I said earlier, the Valmese army closed off the way to its entrance. So be prepared for a little fight"

"Nothing we can't handle. Alright everyone, prepare for battle" Chrom instructed everyone as he grabbed Falchion's hilt and took it out. He then ordered everyone to go with their plan.

Meanwhile, Aya asked Sumia if she could ride her Pegasus with her, to which she agreed. She then climbed on it and rode with Sumia, along with other fliers that decided to join the fray.

On the enemy's side, their commander saw the oncoming attack.

"So, the enemy has finally arrived eh?" Cervantes laughed, earning the looks of his men. "'Come closer' said the hairy spider to the flies"

One of his men approached him. "Sir, Lord Excellus was right, the Ylissean army has arrived"

Cervantes looked sighed at him. "…..Did you not hear what I just said?"

"Sorry sire!" The man apologized quickly.

"You know what, forget it" He looked at where their enemies are coming from. "I gotta give 'em credit though, they have skill. But no matter, I'll show them the meaning of the word 'Fear'"

The man sighed "I'm sure that they'll find your beard impressive, but we're in the middle of-"

The man was cut off when Cervantes shouted at him. "Fear you deaf, useless man, FEAR!"

He then decided to shoo his man off. "Get out of here"

"I'm sorry commander! I'm really sorry!" With that, he ran away.

"Hehe… although, I'd like to admit, my beard is quite impressive" He began scratching and feeling his beard. He stopped doing so when he heard someone shouting that the enemy is approaching.

Chrom and his men weren't having problems in routing the enemies. They start of by finishing off the thieves that were trying to escape and distracting the enemy fliers while the main force head toward the bulk of the enemies while Sumia dropped off Aya near Chrom then returned to where the others were. After a few minutes, all that's left are the ground forces. They decided to regroup and split into three groups with Aya, Chrom, Lucina and Say'ri heading straight to the enemy commander. The group took down most of the enemies on their way while Say'ri ran towards Cervantes.

He saw a few people from the opposing side coming at him, so he ordered his men to rush them, just in time for an arriving reinforcement to come.

"Hahah! That will show them not to go against the empire!" Cervantes shouted confidently, he was sure that victory is within his grasps.

Chrom saw the enemy reinforcements coming from their right. He looked back to see that there were also men coming from the enemy commander.

"Aya, we'll fight off the enemy reinforcements while you head straight for their commander"

Aya nodded in agreement, and she begins to run towards the oncoming attack. Meanwhile, Chrom was waiting for the rest of their army to finish off the remaining ground forces and join them to repel the reinforcements.

Aya took down the enemies with ease, dodging every attack and incapacitating her opponents, but not killing them. All that's left is their commander. When she reached him, she slowed down to a walking pace while keeping her sword. She was looking at him closely, to his irritation. He began questioning the woman in front of him.

"What are you looking at, you insolent girl?"

"Nothing, I wanted to see what our enemy looked like" She sighed "Although, I've got to admit, you have a unique face"

Cervantes laughed at her. "So you noticed my whiskers, eh girly?" He then started scratching his mustache. "You know, I've never shaved since my first battle, and until now, I never lost!" He continued laughing.

"Kidding aside, why would your empire do such a thing?"

He was now wondering what this girl is talking about. "What are you saying? Our empire did a righteous thing, uniting kingdoms, showing our power, freeing man from the slavery of the gods. We should be renowned as heroes"

Aya was now looking solemnly at the tree. "Righteous…" She started smiling. "From what I've heard, you ruined families, killed innocent civilians and did a lot of inhumane things. Tell me how that's righteous"

Cervantes merely laughed. "You wouldn't understand, little girl. You haven't even lived long enough to see the world. This is human nature. We are destined for greater things. The weak does not have a place in such a world, only the strong"

Aya looked at him, still smiling. "Believe me, I do and I understand. I've seen men slaughtered, some were forced into slavery. I've seen bandits destroy lives just for money. And I've seen empires do horrible things just for power, and you're right, it's man's nature"

"So what's your point?"

"Peace, I just wanted peace in our lifetime. I wanted to become a knight not to fight, but to protect" She closed her eyes, as if feeling the wind rush through her. "Like in this tree, this beautiful tree, I wouldn't dare to take anyone's life on this place, on this world, only if needs arise. You see, you can unite them with words and charisma, you can show your power through raw influence and respect for you" She opened her eyes, her whole demeanor changing into a confident one. "And you should fight for everyone's freedom, not just yours"

Cervantes was getting frustrated at her. "Enough words. Draw your blade and fight!" He started rushing her.

'I tried, my love…..' She grabbed her blade and swung it towards the charging general, blocking his attack. She then touched his chest armor as she casted an Elwind spell directly at him from a hidden tome she kept under her clothes, which caused Cervantes to be thrown away and hit a tree. He coughed up blood upon impact, and saw that she was rushing at her, grabbing the sword she threw away earlier. With barely the time to react, he blocked her just in time before she could inflict anymore damage to him. With him on the losing side, he only wished that his death wouldn't be painful. He was surprised however, when he was enveloped by a glowing aura. Aya quickly backed away, afraid of the possible effect of it to her. He noticed that he was disappearing slowly. He smiled as he suddenly thought of something. 'That coward Excellus did something right this time'

"I'll be back… and it would be the last time" He said before he completely disappeared.

'Warped….dammit' Aya cursed herself as she never expected something to happen. Chrom finally caught up to her.

"Where's then enemy commander?.."

"He was warped by someone. But I guess his men were either caught or…killed"

Chrom sighed. Even though it was their enemies, he was feeling a little pang of guilt every time he takes someone's life. "There were some who escaped"

"Then our job's finished, milord"

"Let's head back to the others" Chrom commanded as Aya followed him.

After a few minutes later, they regrouped near the entrance as everyone who was injured were taken care of by their healers.

"Everything that's needed to be done is finished Chrom" Satoshi greeted him. "Although, if we would like to proceed, I would suggest keeping some of our men to guard the entrance, just in case more reinforcements come"

"You're right. Satoshi, you're coming with me, along with Lucina, Lissa, the Khans, Frederick, Aya and Say'ri. The rest, take point and guard the entrance"

Say'ri approached the group that would go up the shrine. "Alright milord, follow me"

-After a few minutes-

The climb up the stairs was exhausting, some where even catching their breath, including Lissa.

"Hah….hah…..I'm so tired, blasted stupid stairs! Frederick, carry me!" Lissa shouted as he was catching hers as well

"You're not the only one, milady. And about your offer, please no" Frederick was trying to keep his cool, but exhaustion could be seen from his face.

"Don't worry milady, we're close" Sar'ri tried to reassure the Ylissean princess.

"Anymore and I couldn't take it!" She was shouting again, this time, throwing her arms around in frustration.

Aya approached them from behind and patted Lissa's head. "Don't spend your energy on shouting and flailing, milady. It would make you more tired" She then smiled at her.

"Hmph!"

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at the top of the shrine.

"Lady Tiki, where are you?" Say'ri shouted, looking around to see if someone was in there.

"Tiki?" Aya asked, curiously.

"Yes, the divine dragon's own kin. She just sleeps most of the time. I wonder where she is?" Say'ri continues on looking around for any signs.

They all heard someone yawning. They all looked towards the direction from where it came from, only to find a green-haired lady approaching them slowly.

"Milady, I'm so happy to see you well" Say'ri recognized her as they approached her.

"So you're lady Tiki, the one who speaks for the divine dragon?" Lucina asked her out of no here, ignoring the obvious fact that it was her and even Say'ri recognized her.

Tiki's eyes widened at the sight, mistaking her identity for someone she knew a long time ago. "Marth, Mar-Mar, is that really you?!" Tiki walked to her quickly

To her disappointment and embarrassment, she noticed her mistake when Lucina tried talking to her. "Might have we met somewhere before?"

"No… I'm terribly sorry. You reminded me of someone. But he's gone now…." Tiki said sadly, trying to remember the times when she was with the Hero-king Marth. Aya heard her words, and she too, felt the same sadness that Tiki felt.

"You and your father…..are of the exalted bloodline, are you not?" She looked at everyone that was in there. She inspected them carefully, but stopped when, again, this feeling of familiarity setting in when she saw her, the red hair messy red hair tied to a failed attempt of a pony tail, the look in her face, everything seems so familiar. Every time she noticed her looking, she would look away from her. She wanted to ask her who she was, but embarrassment took over about making the same mistake, and she pushed the thoughts aside and looked away from her.

"Yes, we are milady" Chrom replied her, barely hearing him due to a sudden attention shift.

"Do you have the fire emblem with you?" Even while asking, she kept eyeing her, tempted to ask her, tell her that she was wrong and get it over with.

Chrom noticed that Tiki have other things in her mind, but he assumed that it was due to her just waking up. "Uhm…. Yes, I do have it"

"Good thing that it wasn't lost" She was half-heartedly relieved that at least the fire emblem wasn't gone at all. But when they took it out, she noticed that some parts of it were missing.

"But where are the other gemstones? I only see one"

"Gemstones? What are you talking about milady?"

Tike explained to them that in order order for Naga to awaken, all five gemstone must be mounted into place on the fire emblem. Each gemstone holds a portion of Naga's power. If the emblem is complete, one can do the ritual of Awakening.

"With its power, the first exalt was able to defeat Grima. But man couldn't handle its raw power, so the gemstones scattered all across the world. I have kept Azure with me"

"My kingdom has guarded Vert for generations. But the gem was taken by Walhart's men as a war trophy" Say'ri said.

Lucina asked Tiki if she knows where the other gems are located. Sadly, she has lost track of them, and their locations are unknown to her.

Basilio suddenly interrupted them. "Ragna Ferox was founded at the time of the schism, as do most of the nations I believe"

"Wait, so you have one of the gemstones Basilio?"

Flavia laughed at the thought of someone entrusting such an important item to this "oaf", as she called him, only to be corrected that they once guarded one of the gemstones, Gules. Sadly though, that the gem was long lost before his time as Khan.

Tiki handed over Azure to Chrom. "Take this. Now, you have two of the five gems. You must find the others in order to perform the Awakening. Grima must be defeated"

Chrom was curious about one thing, and decided to ask her. "Wait, Grima's power was sealed off right? Why is he coming back?"

"Yes, but certain events happened. Now, his life force grows stronger. I can feel his presence….inching closer and closer. It is a heavy burden, I know. But as one of the exalts, this burden falls on to you, Chrom, and so does everyone's hopes"

"I understand, thank you for your help" Chrom bowed on front of her, showing respect and gratitude for her help. With that, the group decided to leave.

Tiki looked at her. The sense of familiarity grows stronger. She would never have a chance like this, so she decided to hold them off and ask.

"Wait!" Tiki shouted

"Is anything wrong milady?" Lucina asked, concern showing in her voice.

Tiki looked at Aya and she approached her, wanting to see her closer. When she was close, she stared at her, noticing that she wouldn't look at her in the eye.

Everyone took notice of this and was curious about what was happening. Lucina on the other hand, knew something was wrong, so she gripped the hilt of Falchion tightly, prepared for anything that might go wrong.

Meanwhile, Tiki was getting frustrated about not getting a good look at her. "Look at me" She ordered, still, she wouldn't budge.

Tiki was clinging to this false hope that, at least, one of her previous comrades was alive and well, a fool's hope, she said to herself. Now, sadness was overwhelming her when she remembered her fallen allies. Now she was desperate to look at her. That 'fool's hope' she was talking about was, she was clinging to it even more.

"Please…look at me….I beg you" a tint of sadness can be heard from her voice.

Noticing this, Aya looked at her slowly. Staring sadly into her eyes, she noticed the same sadness that was hers. Both were yearning for the comrades they lost, the knowledge that whatever they do now, the dead will remain dead..

"N-no…it can't be…..h-how…..no…..impossible" Tiki couldn't believe, she wouldn't believe what she was seeing right now. "Tell me I'm wrong…..t-tell me that I've mistaken you…..like I did earlier…. Tell me this is impossible" She was starting to tear up.

Everyone else didn't hear what they are talking about, and assumed that Tiki was afraid of Aya. All of them were on high alert, and Lucina herself was tempted to swing her blade. 'I shouldn't have trusted her'

Aya smiled a sad one, directed at Tiki. "You've grown, Tiki…."

Upon hearing her voice, Tiki's eyes widened, and then she cried. She ran towards her and embraced her, crying on her chest.

"Aya!" Tiki sobbed her heart out. For the first time in a very long time, she didn't care about appearances. She didn't care if everyone around her sees her like this. For the first time in a while, she was releasing her pent up sadness.

Aya decided to rub Tiki's head to, at least, ease her sadness. "I missed you, you know" She was also starting to tear up.

Everyone was surprised from the action. They weren't expecting a warm reunion. They decided to loosen their guards a bit as they look at them.

Out of everyone, Chrom is more confused. Questions started to appear on his head, but one question was really bugging him ever since he found her in the middle of that village, praying in front of a statue of Naga.

Who is she?

A/N:

Thank you for everyone who read my previous chapters. Thank you for investing your time in this story. Thank you for the tips, criticisms and reviews. And again, like always, I apologize for the mistakes that I've made and will possibly make in the future. At the ending, it was a bit anti-climactic as I noticed that most of you were waiting for "the part where Aya meets Tiki" situation. It seems kind of…I don't know.

Anyways, reviews and suggestions are always appreciated. Thank you very much.

PS: Damn stoichiometry test….


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